— by Peter Cahill

At a little over half an hour for each tape, an OVA series like BURN UP W is expected to be more than a little episodic. But even more than the first two, FILE 3: POLICETOWN ASSAULT! is really only half an episode. There is a large amount of build-up here, but no payoff, at least not until the next episode. In fact, most of the action extolled on the back of the jacket doesn't even happen in this tape! It is not mentioned on the jacket or in the title, but the conclusion to this story--actual action scenes--will come in BURN UP W FILE 3: POLICETOWN ASSAULT! (ACT II). That's slated for a June release. Why the A.D. Vision Website named them "Part 1" and "Act II" is beyond me.
I was surprised at the tragic tones of some of the scenes in this episode's plot. It is genuinely sad at times. This seems out of place for such a silly, lighthearted show. It is hard to reconcile the death of dear friends and comrades with the gratuitous cleavage and up-the-skirt camera angles. And it is impossible to take Rio's "revenge" speech seriously when she keeps bouncing and jiggling like that.
So it is not high drama. I think it is safe to say that was never its intention. But neither is it pure eye-candy like GALAXY FRAULEIN YUNA; there are too many serious consequences for the buckets of violence in this show. It is more than a bunch of faceless bad guys that get blown away; friends die and others grieve.
Yet, aside from the opening credits montage, there is very little action in this episode, at least not much involving the main characters. Just when the story sets up for the big fire-fight, the end credits roll.
This installment's transitional nature aside, at least the animation is very good. The backgrounds are clean and well detailed, and the character designs are expressive and attractive, as long as you don't mind a sexist slant and anatomically impossible body measurements. A couple of these outfits are just plain ridiculous.
So if the male adolescent dream of buxom girls with big guns is your scene, this is as good a series as the next exploitative flick. But if you are looking for real action and a real story, try something else.

BURN UP W FILE 3: POLICETOWN ASSAULT! "PART 1" Screenplay by Kochiba Katsuhiko and Uetaka Sumio Character Design by Yamashita Toshinari Copyright © 1996 AIC / MRC by the courtesy of A.D. Vision Released in the U.S.A. and Canada by A.D.V. Films, 11 March 1997 Subtitled VHSBW/003S $24.95 Dubbed VHSBW/003D $19.98 35 minutes